Why He Worked Hard?

A poor man sat on the pavement repairing the umbrellas of passers-by. He did his work thoroughly, with great devotion.

Another man who was relaxing, leaning against a wall and watching him, asked him, “Why don’t you work faster?”

“If I work faster, the work would not be as good as it ought to be,” calmly replied the umbrella-mender.

“What difference would that make?” asked the other man again, “Can the umbrella-owners immediately find out if the work is defective?”

“No, they won’t find it out untill perhaps the next monsoon.”

“Then? Why do you bother?”

“I don’t bother for myself. In fact, I won’t be here for long. But If my work proves bad, then the next umbrella-mender who would sit here may not be trusted; he may not get many customers,” explained the umbrella-mender.